Georgia Southern University is expanding the use of iris biometric access to include the campus’ state-of-the-art Recreation Activity Center. The expansion will has deploy an integrated access solution so only members can enter the facility.

The early signs are positive that a new iris biometric system at the University of Georgia will be a hit on campus once student return to campus this fall. Georgia recently deployed new iris scanners across its campus to facilitate entry to dining halls and the student rec center. The project has replaced the previous hand geometry scanners.

Biometrics is now being used to facilitate a range of physical and logical access, secure ID verification for payments and other utilities, and it’s the technology that millions of people now use to unlock their phone each day. But on campus, biometric technology wasn’t always so pervasive, so we’re taking a look back to 2004 and our “Bolt-on biometrics for the college campus” story that discussed ways campuses could get started with the technology.

The University of Georgia will be using iris biometrics to enable student access to dining halls and rec center beginning with the coming fall semester. The implementation of iris biometrics comes as part of an initiative that will replace the current hand geometry readers and card swipe access methods.

Whether it’s misinformation, concerns over personal data or a general reticence over the implementation of new technology, biometric solutions on campus are still not pervasive. Still, successful university deployments of biometrics for access control, privilege control and authentication have already demonstrated the power of the technology. With this in mind we spoke to ColorID’s biometric specialist, Tim Ortscheid, about campus deployments and discussed security vs. convenience.

The tide of identification technology is changing the way people think about credentials. Popular opinion regarding the use of newer identification solutions, like mobile ID and biometrics, has begun to shift. There may not be a better time for higher education to start exploring the use of biometrics, so tune in to part two of Blackboard’s “Modern Credentials” webinar series detailing biometrics.

The use of iris biometrics at Georgia Southern has expanded to include access to the campus rec center following successful adoption at campus dining facilities. Of the university’s total enrollment of 20,500, some 15,000 students have already enrolled in the iris program and in doing so are able to use the system.

Virginia Commonwealth University has installed iris readers at its dining halls to increase throughput and give students an access option when they don’t have their ID. The biometric dining solution was purchased through identification solutions provider ColorID, who also consulted with VCU during the delivery and implementation of the system.

ColorID is set to host a webinar to detail the company’s Biometric Dining Solutions. The 30-minute webinar will detail the process of system implementation, the features that biometric access can provide and the expected cost of implementation.

For universities nationwide, getting students through the dining hall doors and to their daily meals is a constant struggle that requires a delicate balance of student convenience and throughput. Biometric applications have garnered demand in a number of locations across the contemporary college campus, particularly those locations where students don’t want to carry their cards. […]